Combined drip baffle and handle for refrigerator closures



Dec. 2,1952 1 Q DE GRAW 2,619,806

COMBINED DRIP BAFF'LE AND HANDL FOR REFRJGERATOR CLOSRES Filed July l5,v 1948 INVENToR. OTHEL l. DEGQAW 5545 "kw/@m ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 2, 1952 COMBINED DRIP BAFFLE AND HANDLE FOR REFRIGERATOR CLOSURES Othel I. De Graw, Greenville, Mich., assigner to Gibson Refrigerator Company,

Greenville,

Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application July 15, 1948, Serial No. 38,913

2 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly to handles for auxiliary closures for refrigerators.

In some modern refrigerators provision is made for dividing the interior thereof into compartments in such a way as to permit only a limited circulation of air between the compartments. In that way, different temperatures are maintained in the various portions of the food storage chamber.

The present invention is intended primarily for use with such a refrigerator in which an evaporator compartment and a chilling compartment therebelow are closed at the front by individual auxiliary closures. The auxiliary closures are located between the main refrigerator door and the evaporator and chilling compartments. Frequently the upper of the auxiliary closures becomes so coated with moisture that it drips from the upper auxiliary closure onto the lower auxiliary closure, as well as onto the contents of the refrigerator, without falling into the usual drip pan.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel and ornamental handle for at least the lower auxiliary closure that will act as a deflector to convey moisture dripping from the upper auxiliary closure into a drip pan.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handle that will serve to conceal the gap which is formed between the evaporator'and drip pan and which is usually quite evident in refrigerators of this type.

These objects, as well as others ancillary thereto, will appear in the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a refrigerator embodying the present invention, the main door of the refrigerator having been removed in order to more clearly show the interiorr of the refrigerator;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on substantially the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on substantially the line 2-2 of Figure 1 but showing only a smaller portion of the refrigerator on a larger scale, and illustrating the drip pan mounted in a position different from that in Figure 2.

The principal parts of the refrigerator to which the present invention is adapt-ed are more fully disclosed in the copending application of Homer 2 E. Rosebrook, Serial No. 38,899, filed July 15, 1948.

In general, the refrigerator comprises an insulated cabinet Ill having therein a refrigerated food storage chamber II. The chamber II is provided with a large access opening closed by an insulated door I2.

An evaporator I3 for cooling the interior of the food storage chamber I I is mounted in the latter adjacent the top thereof. The evaporator preferably is of generally rectangular box-shaped form of any well known construction, and is open at the front. Preferably the evaporator I3 extends substantially from front to rear and from side to side of the food storage chamber II.

Below the evaporator are a plurality of shelves I4 and I5. The shelves I5 may be of any suitable type, either of open grid construction or of imperforate form. The shelf I4, however, is an imperforate plate, preferably of glass, which forms a partition between the spaces thereabove and therebelow.

The shelf I4 is spaced slightly from all of the upright sides of the cabinet, permitting a restricted flow of air between the space above the shelf and the space below it.

Between the door I2 and the shelf I4 and the evaporator I3 are two auxiliary closures I6 and ISa.. Preferably the closures are formed of glass. They are hingedly connected at their lower edges on horizontal axes to the sides of the refrigerator cabinet. The closures I6 and Ia are positioned close to but not quite touching the evaporator I3 and the shelf I4. The closures act to restrict the flow of air between the spaces above and below the shelf I4, as well as to assist in preventing entrance of heat to the space above the shelf I4 when the door I2 is open.

A drip pan II normally is positioned below and in relatively close proximity to the evaporator I3, as shown in full lines in Figure 2. This drip pan is a shallow pan which is slidable in suitable guideways 23 mounted on the side walls of the refrigerator cabinet. The drip pan is slightly larger in its overall horizontal dimensions than the horizontal dimensions of the evaporator I3. The front edge of the drip pan normally is located relatively closely adjacent to the closure I6a and below the upper edge thereof. The drip pan may be removed from the position shown in Figure 2 and rested upon the shelf I4 in the manner shown in Figure 3.

The closures I6 and Elia, are provided with suitable handles It and I9 by means of which the closures may be swung from their closed positions shown in the drawings to their open 3 positions whereby to permit access to the evaporator and to the space between the evaporator and the shelf I4. The handle I8 for the closure I6 may be of any suitable form but preferably is a plastic member of double channel shape extendingv the full width of the closure I6.

The handle IB for the closure IBa is an elongated member formed to the cross-section shown in Figures 2 and 3. As can be seen in those figures, the handle has a top portion 2E] which inclines downwardly and rearwardly and extends a substantial distance both in front and in rear of the closure. A depending flange 2 I, which may be suitably ornamented, provides means by which the operator may grip the handle when it is desired to open or close the closure. Intermediate the front and rear edges of the inclined top portion 2D are flanges 2Ia. The flanges 2Ia are designed to grip the upper edge of the closure IEa and thereby hold the handle on the closure. The rear edge of the top portion 2i)v is curved Vdownwardly, as at y22.

An' inspection of the drawings, particularly Figures 2 and 3, will show that the rear edge of the top portion 2-6 of the handle ISoverhangs the front edge of the drip pan' I! when-the latter is placed in the guideway 22, 'as in Figure 2, or when it restsupon the shelfV I4, as in Figure 3. Thus, any moisture condensingupon the closure Ioriorming Ybythe melting Yo'f'frost which has been deposited-uponthe closure I6, and dripping therefrom, will strike the top of the handle I9 andI be deflected rearwardly suciently to fall into the drippanA Il. Thereis no possibility of such moisturev running down upon the closure I6-a and' dripping into-the lower part of the ref-rigerator or falling through the gap between the'front--oi the drippan VI'I and the-closure ISa.

Not only does the handle ISpreVent moisture from falling into the" lower portion cf the refrigerator, but it serves to conceal the gap formed-between-the evaporator i3' and the drip pan' Il when the-latter is in itsupper position, -as shown in Figure 2. Thelatter function adds to the appearance of the refrigerator as a whole.

The handle is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, as it can be made of molded plastic or of extruded metal, such as aluminum.

The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a food storage chamber therein provided with a main closure, an evaporator in the chamber for cooling the latter, a rst auxiliary closure for said evaporator located at the front thereof and extending in a vertical plane, a second auxiliary closure located below and substantially in the same plane as the first named closure, means below the evaporator in rear of the second auxiliary closure for collecting moisture, and a drip deilector lon said second closure at a level above said means and extending rearwardly from said second closure, the rear edge of said drip deflector being located above said means,.said drip deector being provided with means forming a handle for said vsecond closure.

2. A refrigerator comprising Ya cabinet having a food storage chamber therein provided with a main closure, an evaporator in the chamber for cooling the latter, a first auxiliary closure for said evaporatorlocatedV at the front thereof' and extending in a vertical plane, a second auxiliary closure located below and substantially in the same plane as the rst named closure, a drip 'pan below the evaporator, and a drip deflector onsaid second closure at a level above said drip pan and extending rearwardly from said second closure, said drip deflector being providedv with means forming a handle for said second closure.

OTHEL I. DE GRAWL REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,285,160l Harbison June 2, 1942 2,408,582 Rosebrook et al Oct. l, 1946 

